Sam Valdez – “Charlie” [Song Review]

Indie-rock singer-songwriter Sam Valdez releases her single, “Charlie,” a track providing a foretaste of her forthcoming EP, Crush, slated to drop on October 28.

The upcoming EP is a collaboration with Grammy-nominated Gianluca Buccellati (Arlo Parks, The Marias, Biig Piig, Lana Del Rey), who also produced.

Commenting on Crush, Valdez shares, “The songwriting became a way to escape from the darker headspace I was in while writing it. I talk about friendship, sexuality, and thinking about life on other planets. It was a way to get out of my typical thoughts and expectations and fantasize.”

Growing up on the threshold of the Nevada desert, Valdez grew up playing the violin, and hints of classical music’s splendour inform her music in both arrangement and cinematic undercurrents.

Explaining “Charlie,” Valdez says, “‘Charlie’ is a close-talk to a friend that is struggling. It’s wondering what role you have played in it and not knowing the right thing to say or do to break them out of it. There is frustration and anger but also a lot of love in this song.”

Merging elements of darkwave and electro-pop, “Charlie” vibrates with shadowy textures accented by shimmering, swirling emanations. Valdez’s low, cautionary vocals imbue the lyrics with haunting, echoing timbres.

“You save you no matter what the cost / How’s it cutting out all your friends / Handy with that pocketknife / Go blow off steam drinking in parking lots / Then do downers by the pool and leave petals dripping to your bed / To your bed.”

Like an exegesis of an individual’s life, “Charlie” pulsates on brooding tones topped by the evocative voice of Sam Valdez.

Run Time: 3:40
Release Date: September 21, 2022
Record Label: B3SCI